Sportiest loser? Range Rover!

The 2013 Range Rover weighs 700 pounds less than the ougoing model. It is the first SUV in the world to constuct the entire unibody from lightweight aluminum. LAND ROVER

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The 2013 Range Rover is powered with a 5-liter V8 and a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The first SUV with an all-aluminum body lost 700 pounds from the outgoing model. LAND ROVER

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The 2013 Range Rover starts at $83,545. Its offroad capabilities have been enhanced with a new fully automatic Terrain Response system and the ability to wade in water up to three feet deep. LAND ROVER

Anyone who's attempted to move 700 pounds can tell you exactly how intractable that feels. It's roughly the weight of three refrigerators.

It's also the astounding amount of poundage Land Rover has removed from the Range Rover for its fourth generation overhaul of the iconic luxury SUV.

As automakers work toward a fuel economy goal of 54.5 mpg by 2025, many manufacturers are light weighting, but the 2013 Range Rover is likely the most extreme. It's the first SUV in the world to construct an entire unibody from lightweight aluminum, which nudges up the fuel economy to a still-underwhelming 15 mpg combined but impacts its handling even more substantially.

My ex and I have exactly one thing in common: Our son. But on a recent weekend, we each were driving a Range Rover. His was his personal 2012 model. "Mine" was the 2013.

In a rare moment of cooperation, we swapped cars — briefly — so I could experience the difference 700 pounds can make. It's dramatic.

Both SUVs are powered with a naturally aspirated 5-liter V8 — the aural ferocity of which is damped in the 2013 due to laminated acoustic glass — but the new version is far faster on its feet and corners more precisely, giving it an overall sportier feel than seems possible for a car that lost so much weight but still tips the scales at 4,850 pounds.

It's also equipped with a new transmission that takes just 200 milliseconds to shift between its eight gears as drivers press pedal to metal testing its claimed 0 to 60 acceleration time. It's a fleet 6.5 seconds.

The athleticism of the 2013 is underscored by the car's exterior style. Tweaked for better aerodynamics, the new Range is slightly less angular and more rounded, with a tapered roofline, a grille that is sloped toward the rear and sculptured corners that help air move around the vehicle and reduce drag.

The driver's position defies those aerodynamic improvements, however. For 2013, Range Rover has jacked up the driver's seat, making it taller and more upright to make drivers feel even more above the fray.

The new vehicle is an evolution on all fronts, including the interior, which has been so thoroughly decluttered as to be Zen like: 50% of the control switches have been removed. Many are now operated through the car's touch screen.

The door lock has been relocated from the center stack to the door, where it belongs, and the gear lever has been replaced with a knob that rises like a Phoenix after the ignition is turned on and is rotated into position.

The new fully automatic Terrain Response 2 system is likewise operated with a knob that sits flush until called into action. That's in addition to a new four-wheel air suspension system that automatically adjusts up or down depending on the car's speed.

Terrain Response employs sensors to analyze road surfaces and automatically adjust the car's traction by adapting engine and transmission response and the center differential and suspension settings of this permanent four-wheel-drive SUV based on what's below. More hands-on drivers still have the option of manually selecting between terrain settings that can accommodate everything from grass, gravel and snow to mud, sand, rocks and water up to three feet deep — and can give drivers a massage while doing so.

In addition to heated and cooling seats, those seated in the front row can treat themselves to a low-key massage of whatever back pain might result from plowing over the tundra. The massage isn't quite Burke Williams, but it doesn't cost $200 a rub either, though the motor that enables it makes a noise that makes the car seem as if it's groaning in protest.

Back seat drivers aren't left out of the luxury. There are almost five more inches of legroom for passengers in the second row, which can also be had with two individual rear seats instead of a traditional bench seat. All seats are trimmed in buttery leather.

For 2013, Range Rover has really pulled out the stops, but it still has a long way to go with fuel economy.

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